Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Pope Francis at Angelus: prayers for Mexican Church, nation

Pope
Francis offered prayers for slain Mexican priests on Sunday, and put his
support behind the ongoing pro-family and pro-life efforts of the
Mexican Bishops.

Speaking with the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday,
following Mass to mark the Jubilee of Catechists celebrated as part of
the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, and ahead of the traditional
noonday Angelus prayer, Pope Francis said, “I am very happy to
associate myself with the Bishops of Mexico, in supporting the
commitment of the Church and of civil society in favor of the family and
of life, which in this time require special pastoral and cultural
attention in all the world.”

The Holy Father went on to say, “I assure my prayer for the dear
Mexican people, that the violence, which has in recent days reached even
several priests, might cease.”

Two priests were abducted and murdered in Poza Rica, Veracruz state.

Their abductions and murders took place at a time in which Church
leaders have been calling for increased protection for clergy, as the
Church in Mexico advocates in defence of traditional marrigage while the
administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto pushes for a change in
the law to allow legal recognition of same-sex unions as marriages.

14 priests have been killed since Peña Nieto took office in 2012,
along with scores of thousands of kidnappings and homicides since that
same year, most of which are related to the ongoing violence between
rival drug cartels in the country.